The old but awesome thread

[Joe P]

I nominate Quad 57s and 63s and Garrard 301s.

Joe

 

[wylton]

Well, you didn't stipulate how old, but I nominate Garrard 401, Lenco 88, Michell Hydraulic reference and the Denon DL 103.

 

[flatpopely]

LP12

 

[wylton]

LP12

1972; is that old enough?

 

[linnfomaniac83]

LP12

Indeed, although my LP12 is from 2009... well the oldest bits are anyway.

I think the oldest thing I own (HIFI) is a pair of Royd Sapphires, they're from 1992 and I think they're awesome!

 

[Tony L]

I’ll nominate the oldest thing I have in regular use, my 1961 Leak Stereo 20. Older than me and all the amp one could possibly want assuming sensible speakers and listening levels.

 

[matt j]

Not sure what year my Richard Allan is, late 60s though I think, '68/69 maybe. Sounds as good as anything I've owned. Needs a service though...

 

[Gaius]

LP12/Nait2/Kans

 

[stevec67]

Quad 303
50E

50Es can even now make a lot of modern stuff sound crap.

 

[Barrymagrec]

I have an early fifties built Williamson amplifier - hasn`t been switched on for over thirty years though.

 

[martin clark]

- From G A Briggs 'Loudspeakers', 1961.

 

[docstocker]

Acoustic Research AR3

 

[Jonn]

Vera Lynne

 

[joe9407]

Ahmad Jamal

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

Albarry M408 monoblocs.

Oh, and Abdullah Ibrahim, if we're diversifying into musicians, too.

 

[richards13]

I’ll nominate the oldest thing I have in regular use, my 1961 Leak Stereo 20. Older than me and all the amp one could possibly want assuming sensible speakers and listening levels.

Except the valves, capacitors and resistors?

 

[Robert]

Mission 774 arm (original form 1978).

 

[stevec67]

Except the valves, capacitors and resistors?

Valves and caps are consumables though. Resistors less so, they last indefinitely if of decent quality.

After all, you wouldn't expect a 1961 car to have the original tyres. Certainly wouldn't want to drive it anywhere!

 

[Tony L]

Except the valves, capacitors and resistors?

All bar the EL84s are Mullards of the same date period, all be it NOS examples when I fitted them. I actually have two Mullard ECC83s and a GZ34 that were in the amp when I bought it and I suspect are the original tubes, they are a bit tired but still work. My amp had actually been rebuilt once before so my rebuild was as much as anything doing it again right/as close to original spec as possible. There are many similar Leaks and Quads out there with a fair few original components, a lot depends on how well they have been stored I guess. Quads seem very kind to their tubes, you see loads with the original GEC KT66s still working fine. The majority of carbon resistors in my Leak had drifted way off spec or become noisy hence replacing them all, though I have stuck with nice carbon replacements in key areas.

 

[ff1d1l]

Luxkit